Low publication in scientific journals by Peruvian doctors with doctorate or masters degree: Frequency and associated characteristics

Introduction: It is unknown whether Peruvian doctors and those with Masters degrees apply the research knowledge obtained in their academic training. The objective of this article was to determine the frequency of scientific publishing, as well as to identify factors associated with the type of base and period of publication by Peruvian Doctors and those with Masters degrees. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data, from those physicians with Masters degrees and/or Doctorates registered in the Medical College of Peru. The literature search was performed on Google Scholar and Scopus, using algorithms previously used in similar investigations. A “publication” was considered as any article published in a scientific journal. Generalised linear models were used to obtain P values of association. Results: Very few Masters (40% and 15%) and Doctors (33% and 11%) were indexed in Google Académico and Scopus, respectively. Those with a Masters plus a PhD had higher frequencies of publishing original articles in Google Scholar (PR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.05-2.21; P =.028), and any investigation published in the last 5 years (PR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.01-2.46; P =.046) and original articles (PR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.11-2.84; P =.017). Those with a PhD had higher frequencies of original articles published in the last 5 years (PR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.03-2.47; P =.037). Discussion: The frequency of publication by Masters and PhDs are very low. This could be due to several factors, such as ignorance, low interest, or lack of opportunity, which need to be evaluated in order to generate policy change.